Classes may not have been held for students at Iowa Central Community College on Wednesday October 12 but the campus was busy with activity as hundreds of young visitors congregated here to get a firsthand look into the many careers and fields of study offered by Iowa Central.
Students from nine area school districts attended the annual Middle School Visit Day on campus, participating in hands on classroom activities and campus tours while getting a feel for a day in the life of a college student.
Students divided into groups and attended classroom sessions throughout the day in various career fields ranging from business to healthcare.
In the Health Sciences Department, Medical Assisting Program Coordinator Kelly Meyer gave the middle schoolers an opportunity to try their hands at a skill her regular students have not yet learned – medical staple removal. Students first stapled on “incisions” on mannequins before using staple scissors to remove them.
“This age group, they love being hands on,” said Meyer. “We’ve done several of these visit days and always try to do medical staples or EpiPens with them.”
In the carpentry session, students learned about the program and how carpentry/construction students get hands on training in building a house throughout the one-year program. After a presentation from Carpentry Instructor Sone Chounthirath, they went to work learning how to build and attach rafters to a frame and had a little fun with a nail driving contest.
“You don’t do the same thing every day,” Chounthirath told the middle schoolers. “That’s what I like about carpentry.”
Brylee Mrla, Elisabeth Page and Denise Mendez, eighth-graders from Eagle Grove Middle School had spent part of their morning learning about graphics and web technology and then drove a few nails in the Carpentry Department. While they had never thought about working construction, they were impressed with what they had learned about the field and the fast track it offers to a career.
“It can only take a year here and you can get a job that pays really good money,” said Mrla.
At the graphic design session, instructor Jake Zwiebohmer explained the impact graphic design has on almost everything people purchase and consume and then students created their own custom letter which will be illustrated by students enrolled in the graphic design program.
The welding sessions were also a favorite among students where they wore safety glasses and welding helmets and learned about MIG and TIG welding and working with a torch.
“That fire was awesome,” Ariana Chiton, a seventh-grader from Storm Lake said when she finished giving the torch a try.
“These kids always really enjoy trying the hands-on things we do and getting to try out the gear,” said Welding Instructor Bryce Roberts.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up